61-Year-Old Breaks Marathon World Record

Mohammed El Yamani's record-breaking run was his first marathon in three years. The French runner had been sidelined for two of those years with a series of injuries that included gluteal tendonitis and two vertebral fractures. In an emotional social media post following his 2:28:28 performance, El Yamani shared that he had battled depression during his time away from running. He wrote, "Some said I was old, others that I was finished, but I say I have the experience of years lived, the strength of my conviction in my dreams, and the drive and will to improve." The previous 60-64 age group record of 2:30:02 was set in 2020 by Irish Olympian Tommy Hughes. El Yamani's time was a significant improvement, beating the prior mark by one minute and 34 seconds. His performance placed him 145th overall in the elite field of the Seville Marathon. This is not El Yamani's first time at the top of the rankings. He already holds several French national records for the 55-and-over age group, including for the 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, 10K road race, and half-marathon. At age 57, he ran a 2:26:56 marathon, setting the French U55 record and missing the world record by just one minute. El Yamani only started running at age 31, inspired by a newspaper article about a 62-year-old who had run every edition of the Paris 20K race. His personal best marathon time is 2:22:28, which he ran in 2001. His recent record was achieved while juggling a demanding training schedule of over 110 miles per week with his career as a production manager for a classical music company.